Religious Investors Targets of Church Founder’s Fraud, SEC Says

A church founder targeted Christian investors in his bid to raise money through an unregistered securities offering, the SEC said in Illinois federal district court.

John Henderson used his firm, Global Resources Leadership LLC, as part of an oil investment scam, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He singled out at least 150 people connected with a Christian college and other religious groups, including a church Henderson founded, the agency said.

Henderson used religious references in the solicitation email he sent to potential investors, the SEC ...